Lost and Found
by Geri K
Summary: five year old Obi wan is thrown off a cliff on a remote planet, and presumed drowned. However, several years later Yoda hears a call for help through the force.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Lost and Found

Author: Geri K  
Timeframe: AU before the JA books Obi is five in the beginning.  
Characters: Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Yoda, Xanatos  
Genre:  
Keywords: Obi Angst- and maybe comfort.  
Summary: A camping / training trip turns into a struggle for survival for one little boy. When Presumed dead, he is left behind on a planet all alone. Will he survive, will the Force save him? Or will the Dark side finish the job.

000

Xanatos used force assisted speed to race through the rough terrain, clutching frightened five year old Obi-Wan. He stopped at the edge of the plateau; Obi-Wan struggled, feeling an overpowering fear building within him, he cried "Plwease put me down, I want to go back"

"Stop struggling you little brat, and he slapped Obi-Wan across his face, pushing the screaming child down to the ground holding him with his knee. He pulled out the force suppressor collar, and quickly fastened it around the child's neck. The abrupt loss of the force made Obi-wan stare at Xanatos with terrified eyes. Xanatos lifted the panic stricken child up, and with a force assisted push, flung the boy off the top of the plateau and into the swirling violent flow of the river below.

Down at the base of the mountain a terrifying scream split the air and exploded through the force. Masters shot up from their seats, all eyes scanned the plateau; a feeling of dread permeated their thoughts, and they opened themselves to the force sensing unbelievable anguish, and then nothing.

The Jedi Masters felt the death of a young child, there could be no other explanation for the sudden disappearance of a force signature. Something horrible had happened and now a child was one with the force. Masters started running towards the sound, another anguished scream filled the air around them. However, to Qui-Gon, it sounded false, and it was more like the scream of someone who had accomplished a deed. He shuddered and felt his blood run cold, and he recognised the voice, it was his own apprentice Xanatos. Qui-Gon tried to connect to him through their bond, however, it appeared blocked, it felt off, and the light had vanished from his aura. Qui-Gon would keep his thoughts to himself until he found out what had happened.

When the Masters reached the top, all the Padawan's and initiates had gathered at the top of the plateau, children were crying, and several Padawan's were staring down at the river in shock; Xanatos was holding his head crying "Nooo-Nooo- Noo…

Qui-Gon approached him and Xanatos got up off the ground and rushed over saying. "He slipped, he slipped, I'm sorry Master, I'm so… sorry."

The young man waited for his Master to say something, unfortunately for Xanatos Qui-Gon's senses were reeling, and he just glared at his apprentice. He sensed through the force that Xanatos was lying. Qui-Gon brushed past his apprentice, going over to the edge. He looked down along with the other Masters.

"Do you see him; can anyone feel his life essence." Qui-Gon asked.

The other Masters shook their heads "It would be impossible for him to have survived a fall like that there are so many rocks." one Master pointed out.

"We will take the children down to the camp and then we will retrieve his body and take him home." Qui-Gon stated.

For the rest of the day they searched for Obi-wan's body. They left Xanatos with another Master as he appeared to be taking the death of the boy quite badly, and some of the Padawan's stayed with the children while the rest searched for Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon was leading two other Masters and several Knights along the riverbank, when one of the Masters commented that it was strange that they hadn't found his body yet.

Qui-Gon agreed, however one of the younger Knights looked confused. "Strange Why?" he asked.

"Well look up to where he supposedly slipped, if that is what happened?" The Master said

The young Knight looked up and realised what they meant. "Oh my, but we have searched every bit of that area, and we did not find any blood; there should be blood and a body?" he said.

The Knight voiced what the others were thinking. "If he slipped it would be impossible for him to have landed in the water, didn't one of the Padawan's say he saw his body in the river. The only way that could happen is if he was force thrown?"

Qui-Gon stood silently listening to their discussion; it occurred to him that his Padawan's force aura had changed dramatically; it felt like their bond was immersed in black sludge, as though all rational thought had fled Xanatos. Abruptly the force confirmed his worst fear that his Padawan had thrown little Obi-wan Kenobi to his death.

tbc...


	2. Chapter 2

000 _Thoughts in italics_

**On Corruscant before this nightmare began:**

Qui-Gon felt his Padawan Xanatos was ready to take the final step in becoming a Knight. Even though Master Yoda had indicated many times that Xanatos seemed shrouded in darkness, and the old master did not believe he would achieve knighthood. This made Qui-Gon irritated because Xanatos had been the model apprentice, well, in his master's eyes at least.

However, Xanatos was a brooding young man who disliked small children, especially those who were bright in the force, and during the past two years he had been meeting with a Senator from Naboo. He liked him, and he always felt important when he was with the Senator. Xanatos hated being the perfect Padawan to his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Xanatos also resented the fact he did not have wealth, and wanted riches and the good life like the Senator had. Xanatos had made the mistake of leaving wealth and riches behind when he became a Jedi, and now he hated them for it.

Senator Palpatine filled Xanatos head with thoughts of riches and power, until the young man could stand it no longer, and asked the Senator to help him attain what he wanted. The Senator was an evil man, and unbeknown to Xanatos, had manipulated him into turning to the dark side with promises of riches and power beyond his wildest dreams. Xanatos only had to do one little job for the Senator, and he would reward him with power and riches.

Five years ago Palpatine woke from a horrendous vision, where a Jedi basked in light killed him and killed his dream of destroying the Jedi. His visions were of his own demise, and in his re-occurring vision, it was always the same. A Jedi bright in the force had been born, and would cause his downfall, all his plans destroyed because of one Jedi. However, Palpatine could not identify the child. The force was protecting the innocent child; nevertheless, he had felt the shift in the force when he was born. Every time he came close to discovering the child's identity, the force would block his senses. Therefore, he convinced Xanatos to find out which child it was. Palpatine wanted to destroy the boy, or turn him to the dark side if possible.

Xanatos had a fair idea which child it was, and although he liked Senator Palpatine, he did not trust him completely. Therefore, he did not tell him he knew where the boy was. His Master Qui-Gon had been very interested in a small fair-haired boy by the name of Obi-wan, and Xanatos overheard his Master and Mace Windu discussing the child with Master Yoda. The boy was strong in the force and would be a great Jedi one day. However, Master Yoda had been having visions of darkness clouding the boy's future. Xanatos smirked. _There is darkness around and I will make sure I am the cause of it, not that pathetic wimpy boy. Palpatine wants to train him, only I have other ideas._

Xanatos knew that a team of Jedi Masters and their apprentices would be going to the planet Rayma for training and camping excursions. He and his Master were part of the team taking a group of young initiates for their first training session out of the Temple. The younglings spent their first five years, learning balance and levitation of small objects.

They were taught the basics of meditation, and when they reached five standard years their training is more involved, and they study the nature of the Force and their connection to it. The planet Rayma was a perfect base to study the living force. Rayma, which was three days travel from Corruscant, was a planet that was practically wiped barren by a fierce ion storm some fifty years before. However, small pockets of life were gradually beginning to populate the areas where vegetation and trees had reappeared.

The Jedi Masters used the unpopulated area of the small planet for learning about the living force, and a camp out. The area used by them was a mixture of plains, and mountains, and very rugged terrain, below the plateau a fierce river ran through the mountains. A team of seven Masters and their senior Padawan's, and several Knight's escorted 20 crèche initiates ranging from five, to six year olds to the planet for their first taste of life outside the Temple.

Of course, Xanatos and his Master were one of the Master/Apprentice teams to go. It was also a trial for the senior Padawan's. They were about to take the step into Knight Hood, and were required to show their skills when dealing with very young children.

Therefore, it just happened that the youngest child in the group of 20 to be sent to Rayma was Obi-wan Kenobi. Xanatos felt disgusted that everyone seemed enraptured by this youngling and even his friend Palpatine could not talk of anything else but securing the child. Xanatos had his own agenda and it did not include the brat Obi-Wan. Several days into the training program the children were given a rest day, and Xanatos had been waiting for the opportunity to see to it that Obi-Wan met with an unfortunate accident. He had a plan to get rid of the Kenobi brat once and for all. Even though Palpatine had wanted the child brought to him alive, Xanatos did not want to share Palpatine's wealth with the brat. He would be Palpatine's only associate, not the boy.

"Master's, I would like to take some of the children on an excursion up to the plateau?" Xanatos requested smiling widely.

Master Jinn and several other Masters looked up the hill to where Xanatos had pointed. Qui-Gon being the most senior Master, answered his Padawan.

"No Padawan, I believe it would be too dangerous, the children should stay here with us"

Some of the older children whined "Awhh Please Master Jinn, we want to see the river, we will be careful." They all chirped.

Three other Padawan's, friends of Xanatos spoke up saying they would go too. Xanatos did not want them along, however, he knew he could stand over them if he had too; his plan was to take Kenobi to the edge, and put the force inhibitor collar that the Senator had given him around the boy's neck and throw him off the cliff. Originally, Palpatine gave Xanatos the force inhibitor collar to block the child's force sense, and then Xanatos was supposed to contact Palpatine so he could come and take the boy away.

"Master, we will be careful, and I know the children will obey us, won't you reconsider" Xanatos pleaded.

"I will discuss your suggestion with the other Masters, and if they agree then I will allow it." Qui-Gon said against his better judgement.

After discussing, it with the other Masters, they thought it would be safe enough, providing all the Padawan's went together. Xanatos kept his deceitfulness behind heavy shields, and smiled nicely at his Master. He would find a way to rid him self of the others, and then he could end the brats life.

"We will hold you Padawan's personally responsible for the children's safety, and my young apprentice, you most of all must show your dependability. I am trusting you to look after these young ones, after all you will become a Knight soon and maybe one of these younglings will be your apprentice" Qui-Gon added.

"Yes Master" Xanatos said, as he nodded thinking _not the Kenobi kid that is for sure_!

"Come on then, let's go exploring" all the children except one started forward, Xanatos looked back "Come on Obi-Wan it will be fun".

The small boy lowered his head and shook it. "Don't want to go, not safe to go," he murmured.

"We will take care of you" One of the other Padawan's confirmed.

Xanatos couldn't let the boy think about it too long otherwise the Masters may agree with the little brat, so he swept Obi-Wan into his arms before the child could say anything and took off at a run "Come on last one to the tree has to wash the dishes when we get back" he shouted.

Obi-wan's eyes locked onto Master Jinn's, his eyes pleaded for help.

A sharp shift in the force made Qui-Gon shudder, and he rose up saying "Wait….

One of the other Masters put his arm on Qui-Gon's "Don't be a spoil sport Qui-Gon, you trust your apprentice don't you? I am sure they will look after them, after all, each and every Padawan here on this planet will be taking their trials when we get back."

"Yes, yes! You are right; I am just imagining things. I trust my apprentice with my life, I know I can trust him with theirs," Qui-Gon answered.

Up at the top of the plateau, Xanatos split them into groups, because there were so many senior Padawan's he explained he would take care of Obi-Wan because he seemed anxious and they could explore with the other children. Most of the Padawan's went off to explore with the initiates. However, the two Padawan friends of Xanatos were confused, "Why are we splitting up we thought we were going to explore together?" they said.

Xanatos who was still holding Obi-wan turned to his fellow Padawan's and with an evil sadistic smile. He smirked.

"I want to show Obi-Wan something especially for him, you two run along with the others I do not need you hanging around, you will get in my way." He said as he forced shoved the Padawan's out of his way, they watched him run off, with Obi-Wan pleading for them to help him. The little boy sensed if they did not come and get him, he would never see them or anyone ever again.

The two Padawans turned and headed towards the rest of the group, and in that moment little Obi-Wan knew his fate was in Xanatos hands...

tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

_Thoughts in italics_

**Back to the present on Rayma**

Qui-Gon knees shook, as he contemplated what this all meant; he looked towards the other Knight, who had just confirmed the facts that If Obi-Wan had slipped as Xanatos said, there was no way he could have landed in the river. Qui-Gon ignored the intense feeling of bile rising to his throat.

The younger Knight stared at Qui-Gon, hoping he would deny what they were all thinking, and give them some logical answer to this horror.

Nevertheless, Qui-Gon could not refute the facts; they were searching for a little five year old initiate, who was last seen with his Padawan Xanatos. He did not want to believe the whisperings of the force. However, he could not deny the truth as it flooded his mind. Xanatos had indeed thrown Obi-Wan off the plateau, even though Xanatos force aura seemed in chaos, somewhere in the centre of his frenzied thought patterns was the unmistakable thrill coming from his Padawan; he had indeed killed the child.

The sound of a comm. Link's shrill beeping broke into Qui-Gon's thoughts. He cleared his head enough to answer it. "Jinn here"

"Qui-Gon, I just received your message! What happened, your message specified there was an accident, and one of the initiates is dead? Tell me Qui-Gon, I need the details, how did the boy die?"

Earlier Qui-Gon left a message for the council, to inform them that one little initiate had fallen to his death. At the time Qui-Gon presumed it was an accident, however, now he knew in his heart it had not been.

"Mace" Qui-Gon said awkwardly, his mind was racing. "We have not found Obi-Wan's body, and we have searched every inch around the area were he supposedly fell." He paused to clear his thoughts.

"What do you mean where he supposedly fell, aren't you sure Qui-Gon?" Mace inquired.

"Details are coming to light concerning the cause of the boy's death. It is imperative that we return to Corruscant immediately, I will leave several Masters here to continue the search, nevertheless, I request that you send a search team straight away."

"What details Qui-Gon? What do you mean?" Mace asked a bit confused.

Qui-Gon glanced at the Masters and Knights who were with him, "I cannot speak of it yet, it is best we speak to you when we arrive on Corruscant."

Master Windu agreed, yet he sensed by Qui-Gon's voice that the boy's death was no accident. "I will send a team immediately, gather the younglings and bring them home"

The trip back to Corrusant was very tense, and Qui-Gon felt some of the Padawan's eyes bore into his. He could sense they wanted to tell him what they felt. However, he had asked their Masters to keep them quiet until they could bring this to the Council. Several Masters and their apprentices remained on Rayma to search for the body. The younger Knights comforted the young initiates, and every one else just stared out into space.

However, Xanatos sat rocking back and forth, and occasionally Qui-Gon would hear him humming. Xanatos had closed down their bond, and Qui-Gon had no desire to speak to his Padawan now anyway.

Just before they reached Corruscant Qui-Gon commed Mace on his private channel and informed Mace Windu of his suspicions. He requested that guards should meet them when they arrived at the Temple.

The children were taken off the shuttle, and hustled into the Temple, the others remained on the ship until Master Windu and several guards strode up the ramp. Qui-Gon quietly told Mace about Xanatos's behaviour, and motioned to them to arrest his apprentice.

"Master, what are you doing; what's going on why is temple security involved. I have done nothing wrong?" Xanatos stated.

"Xanatos, I hope you have done nothing wrong, but I fear that you have. My senses tell me you have. Now please go with Security quietly and we will discuss this later"

"I will not go with them! I did not kill that child he slipped. He slipped and fell, he fell…… Besides it is no great loss, he was a weakling; he did not deserve to be a Jedi. He was pathetic, and I did you a favour…" Xanatos laughed, "I did you all a favour, he laughed again and it was maniacal… "He was never meant to be a Jedi, the sith wanted the untainted little brat, they were going to kill him anyway…" his eyes turned red and when security seized him the dark insane side spilled forth.

"I hate you, you are all pathetic, just like that brat Kenobi, and he made me sick. He will never be the great Jedi you were all hoping for, he is dead…he is dead….Ha..Ha…Ha… He won't stop the rise of the Sith now" and he laughed hysterically as they injected him with a force suppressant.

They were going to interrogate Xanatos; nevertheless, he was unable to enlighten them about anything. Not only had Xanatos turned to the dark side, but he had gone completely insane. The Council had no choice but to declare Xanatos insane, and they dampened his force abilities with a force inhibitor collar confining him to a mental institution.

Qui-Gon suffered a double heartache, his Padawan whom he had loved like a son had deceived him and killed a defenceless little boy. Qui-Gon felt despondent, knowing the child had warned him prior to his death. If he had listened to his own feelings the boy would be alive now.

.

0000

.

Cold…. so cold….. he was shivering._ I hurt so much, I want to be warm, I am so cold,_ Hethought, and then a slight voice called out, "hurts, make it go away"

He sobbed again, "help me" he was crying hard now, and he opened his eyes. He could see blue, lots of blue; he lifted his hand up in front of the blue. (What is this), and he waved his hand to try and touch the blue. He could not, and so he moved his hand towards his face something was burning him. He touched the thing around his neck, "hurts" and he tried to pull it off, but it would not budge. He looked around, and he was laying flat on his back at the edge of the river. The water was flowing over and around him. It made him jump, "water?" _I'm in the water_ he thought _How did I get in the water, what happened to me?"_

He sat up slowly, holding his head, he felt around and found a big lump on the back of his head. He was so wet and cold, and he wanted to get out of the water. He stumbled to his feet, and staggered out , sitting on a rock in the sun.

He hugged himself until the sun warmed him, and he looked around _Where am I, who am I_ that last statement made him realise he didn't remember anything. He was frightened and he called out.

"Hello is some one here?"

Only the sound of rushing water filled his young ears, he looked towards the sound, and wondered if he should go that way. After thinking about it for a while he made a decision to go towards the sound.

Soon he was standing near a large waterfall, he looked up and saw the water tumbling over the top and swirled around at his feet. Water rushed past him from the place he had just come from, and joined in with the waterfall above him. He looked down the river and it seemed to go on forever; winding through the gorge. His head hurt and he did not want to walk that far; he looked behind him and could see mountains, and every where he looked there were hills and more mountains.

_Where am I going to go?..._Further along, the water disappeared over some more rocks, and headed down the mountain, he was worried because he could not climb up, and looking down made him dizzy, so he stepped back away from the edge of the river, it was very noisy and he could not take his eyes off the churning water as it disappeared over the edge. He backed up more and more, and he did not notice a large hole behind him, water was cascading down into it.

He slipped and grabbed for the rocks, however, they were covered in slippery moss, and he slid into the opening, sliding down into darkness, as he did he started to scream.

His descent was slow; it seemed like a massive slippery dip winding slowly around and around. It was quite a large tunnel and air travelled through with him. It seemed to go on forever and it was very dark, wrapping his little arms around himself he slipped further and further into the black hole. After many minutes in darkness sliding on slippery moss, he could see something in the distance; it appeared to be a small white dot.

He focused his eyes on the dot and as he came closer the dot grew in size, until it became a bright light. Then slowly he realised it was the end of the tunnel, and he slid out with the water, and ended up in a large pond. There were vines hanging down in the pond and he grabbed them and pulled himself to shore. He struggled up to dry land and hugged himself.

He was scared and cold and all alone. He looked around, and the pond was nestled at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by plants and trees. If he wasn't so scared and cold he might have thought it was a beautiful place.

He wondered where the river and the waterfall went to because he could not hear it anymore only the trickle of water coming out of the hole. He thought maybe he had slid to the other side of the world. He could not control his emotions any longer and he curled into a ball and cried, he cried until he fell asleep.

Many hours later, he woke up, feeling very hungry, and he looked back past the pond and could see lush green grass, trees, bushes with berries on them and flowers. In the trees he could see fruit hanging from the branches. Through a clearing he could see flat ground, with clumps of funny looking trees, that had bunches of yellow things hanging down like fingers. For some reason this place soothed his fears, and he felt safe, even though his head was hurting and the thing around his neck hurt, he decided to pick some berries and eat them.

.

000

.

Search teams stayed on the planet Rayma for a week searching for Obi-Wans body, nevertheless, because of the treacherous rapids, and the length of the river. They had no choice but to return to Corruscant without the little boy's body. Qui-Gon waited at the landing platform; he felt so guilty, and when the Masters greeted him they apologised for not finding Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon knew he should have acted on the disturbance he had felt that day when Obi-Wan said he did not want to go, yet he hadn't, and now an innocent child was dead.

The Temple had a memorial service for the little boy, and after that Qui-Gon pushed himself deeper into his work and started taking on more and more missions. He did not want to think about what happened, or why his apprentice did what he did. Eventually life went on in the temple and little Obi-Wan Kenobi faded into memories of only a few.

tbc...


	4. Chapter 4

00

The sun gradually disappeared behind the mountain, and Obi-Wan who had no idea who he was began to get worried. It would be dark soon, and he did not know where to go. He watched two small furry creatures run around the pond and into the bushes; behind them he could see a cave. He wondered if they would mind if he took shelter in the cave with them. He warily made his way to the cave and stopped outside, shadows covered the entrance, and he could not see inside. He was scared and he could not bring himself to step through the shadows. He glanced around noticing several ledges above the cave and one of them was large enough for him to lie on, so he climbed up and huddled at the back of the ledge. He could not go to sleep for a long time because there were noises all around the pond that scared him. Nevertheless, eventually he did succumb, huddled at the back with his arms wrapped around his knees.

He woke with a start when a large bird flapped its wings, and squawked. It was sitting on a branch that jutted out from the ledge, with a frightened cry he blurted "Shoo, go away"

The bird flew off and Obi-Wan watched it glide down to the pond for a drink of water. Standing up on the ledge he could see a cave higher up on the other side of the pond. The sun shone inside it and Obi-Wan wondered if he could climb up there. He needed a place to stay at night until some one found him; he hoped some one was looking for him because he didn't want to be alone.

He climbed down from the ledge and slowly walked towards the pond; he saw the two little furry creatures drinking from the pond and he felt better knowing that they were here too. Yesterday he had watched the two little animals play and run along the branches of a tree. A bit of fruit fell off the tree, and he picked it up and ate it. It tasted familiar, and he thought he knew what it was, although he could not remember its name. It tasted like something he had eaten before, and he hoped they would knock another one down for him to eat because he was very hungry.

After he drank some water he decided to look for something to eat, and he went back to the tree where the furry creatures played. There wasn't any fruit on the ground, however, there were many pieces hanging from the branches. It looked very high up and he wasn't sure if he could climb that high, and besides his head still hurt. He sat down on the ground staring at a piece of fruit hoping that somehow it would fall, nevertheless, after a long time Obi-Wan's stomach rumbled, reminding him how hungry he was. He would have to climb the tree, and get the food himself.

He walked around the tree and noticed several knotty lumps, he grabbed hold of one and put his foot onto another pulling himself up with his hands, and then he put his other foot on the next lump.

Lifting his arm as high as it would go he caught hold of a low branch, and struggled up holding onto the main trunk with his other arm. It was a slow process, and once he slipped and nearly fell to the ground. Luckily his foot found a hold in the fork of a branch and stopped his descent. He clung to the tree for many minutes squeezing his eyes shut, trying to calm down.

Eventually, he reached a branch which held quite a few pieces of fruit. He carefully broke them off and slipped them inside his tunic. Once he had all the pieces safely inside his shirt he made his way down the tree. He almost made it to the bottom without mishap, however, his foot slipped off the last lump and he slid down and landed on his back. He lay quite still for a moment catching his breath and finally he got up and checked to make sure his food was safe. Obi-Wan smiled, he had plenty of food now and he picked one piece out and ate it.

Later after he had eaten a few pieces, he decided to climb up to the cave he saw before. It was much higher than the tree, but there seemed to be lots of rocks and vines around to hold onto as he climbed. The sun was quite high in the sky by the time he climbed to the cave, and he smiled. It was big enough to sleep in, and it had a hole at the back, which let sunlight in all through the day.

There were lots of leaves on the floor of the cave; as they had fallen from the tree above the hole. They felt soft under Obi-Wans feet, and he sat down on them. He looked around the cave, and there were rocks jutting out like shelves, so he put his fruit on one, and then he lay down because he was tired.

Several weeks later young Obi-wan had become quite expert in collecting food. He practiced every day aiming rocks at a mark he made on a tree, and he learnt that if he threw a rock at a piece of fruit he could knock it off the branch, and then he would collect his food and take it to his cave above the pond. The morning sun woke him every morning, it was nice and warm. The sun would help to brighten his spirits after a lonely and frightening night. Obi-Wan did not like the dark, and he would huddle in the corner of his cave and hide under the leaves, he was afraid of the dark, and now he was afraid, alone and with no one to comfort him, or hold him.

He was just putting some food on the shelf in his cave when he heard a whining sound. It frightened him and at first he was afraid to look out, soon though the noise got louder so he peeked out and saw a red glowing object hurtling towards the ground. He had no idea what it was, and the noise it made when it crashed seemed to shake the cave. The red fireball slid along the ground creaking and groaning, until it came to a stop on the other side of the tree line in the field. He watched it for a long time until it stopped glowing, and when all was quiet, Obi-Wan decided to have a look.

When got closer he recognised it as a space craft, and there was smoking billowing out of the opened door. He crept to the doorway and called out;

"Hello" he didn't know what to expect.

He was too scared to go inside and he listened for a long time, and suddenly he heard a groaning noise. He peeked in side, but he couldn't see anything, except twisted metal and smoke moving along the ceiling and out the door.

"Hello?" he called again.

No answer came back, and after a few minutes he heard another moan. (_Some one might be hurt)_ he thought.

So he crawled inside, and to his horror he saw a creature shackled to a post. It did not move and it was burnt badly, it made Obi-Wan sick to look at it. He watched it for a moment but it didn't move.

Then he heard a moan coming from the pilot's seat, and he could see a man slumped over the controls, and he was bleeding badly. He crept closer to the man; he had dark skin and had armour plates on his chest and a helmet on his head. Obi-Wan noticed two blasters attached to his belt and shackles hanging from his belt as well. This man scared him, and he looked evil. Obi-Wan didn't know what to do.

As he watched the dark skinned man groaning, he heard another noise behind him.

He turned around, and on the floor under some seats he could see a large fury creature moving on the floor, and he had shackles on.

This one was taller than a man, and he had hair all over him, a flash of memory came to him.

_(Wookie)_ Obi rubbed his temple and thought (_what's a Wookie?)_

His thoughts were interrupted when the Wookie got up, and stumbled towards the pilot not taking any notice of the small child almost under his feet. Obi-Wan wasn't sure whether he should run away or not, nevertheless, when the Wookie put his chains around the pilots neck and choked him, that terrified Obi-Wan into running out the door. He did not stop running until he had scurried into his cave. He hoped the Wookie would go away, he was petrified now and he curled into a ball, and hid in the corner of his cave. He was too scared to cry and he was too scared to look outside, in time he fell asleep and slept on throughout the night.

He woke up with a jolt; the sun was shining into the cave. He listened but he could not hear anything different from the usual activities of the small animals and birds chirping and chattering.

He wondered if the Wookie had been looking for him, (_maybe the Wookie burned up in the ship?)_ He thought.

He quietly crawled to the entrance of his cave, and when he looked down he could see the big being laying on the grass near the pond, he was very still. Obi-Wan watched him for a long time and he noticed the wookie didn't have the shackles on anymore. Obi wondered if he might be dead, and then he thought he might need help. His compassion for living beings over ruled his fear and he wondered if he should go down there.

He was confused, and he wished there was someone to ask what to do. In the end he crept down and stood far enough from the being just in case he attacked him.

His curiosity got the better of him and he sat on a boulder looking down at the being. He could see his chest going up and down, so he knew he was alive; the being started to cough, which startled Obi-Wan and he cried out, he quickly clamped his hand over his mouth hoping the being didn't hear him.

The Wookie opened his eyes and looked straight at the boy, and he mumbled something "Arg-hhe"

However, Obi didn't understand him, and then the being pointed to the water. Obi realised that he must be thirsty, but the boy was too scared to move.

Eventually the Wookie started to crawl to the pond, and he drank his fill then sat up slowly.

He turned to Obi-Wan rubbing his stomach indicating that he was hungry. Ob-Wan realised he was hungry too. So he decided that he would bring some food but he wasn't going to show him where his home was.

"You hungry?" he asked.

The being nodded his head, and made another funny growling sound. "Arg- arg- ugu-"

He did not understand the beings language, and he was afraid. Obi-Wan looked around and then back at the wookie. "I get you some food, but I won't give it to you if you try to hurt me- w-ill you h-urt me?" he stammered.

The Wookie shook his head and put his big paw over his heart, and shook his head again.

Obi-Wan smiled and ran off calling back, "I will get some food"

When he came back the hairy being was sitting by the pond leaning against a rock. Obi-Wan put the fruit down warily, and watched him. He set it down near his big furry feet, and then backed away. The Wookie nodded his head and smiled. It made Obi-Wan feel good.

The boy sat on another rock far enough away for safety, and ate some of the food he had gathered.

He noticed the hairy being's hands were all bent out of shape like someone had crushed his hands, and one of his feet was bent as well.

After their meal the Wookie struggled to stand up and hobbled to the cave on the other side of the pond, the one where Obi-Wan was too scared to enter. He sat down just inside and Obi-Wan followed him and stood in the entrance. He motioned to the boy that he would stay in here out of the weather, and pointed to the ground and waved Obi-Wan to come in.

Obi-Wan shook his head and said "No, not stay in here, I don't like it, you can… I have a place to stay. I will bring you some food when the sun comes up, ok?"

The wookie nodded and put his hand over his heart and smiled.

Over the next few days Obi-Wan looked after the Wookie getting food and water for him. He hadn't tried to hurt Obi-Wan and he never tried to grab him. Therefore, Obi-Wan started to relax a bit around him. Finally, one day the Wookie pointed to the collar around the boy's neck, and said something in his language. Obi-Wan thought he was asking what it was.

"Don't know" Obi said "But I don't like it"

The Wookie tried to make the boy understand that he would get it off for him. His name was Krag, and he knew about force inhibitor collars, he had seen a couple in his travels and he wondered if the boy was a Jedi; he had tunics that matched the clothes Jedi initiates wore, and even though they were dirty and ripped in several places, he still recognised them. Krag remembered years ago his cousin became a Jedi, and Krag saw him with a group of Jedi initiates on Corruscant. He and another Jedi were taking the younglings to the fair, which Krag worked for. He could not imagine what had befallen this young child for him to be here on this planet all alone, and with a force inhibitor collar on.

Nevertheless, the boy was very scared, and Krag felt badly for the little fellow. _Who would be so cruel to do that to a small child_ he wondered. He wanted to help this little boy; however, the child would not come close enough to allow him to take the collar off. He didn't know how to gain the boys trust, and the boy kept far enough away that he could not grab him.

So he pretended to faint, and kept very still. Obi-Wan crept closer to see what was wrong; as he did Krag grabbed him pulling him close to his furry chest.

Obi-Wan started crying and struggling, "Please don't hurt me" and he struggled some more.

Krag started rubbing gently along the little child's back and stroking his head, and when he started to hum a song; Obi-Wan stopped struggling. His sobs decreased and he looked up at the big fellow, and Krag smiled at him and hugged him gently.

Tear-filled grey eyes looked into his, "Y-our not going t-to h-hurt me?" he stuttered.

The gentle giant shook his head, and Obi-Wan relaxed into the embrace, he kept rubbing his back and began humming again. When he felt the boy relax, he took hold of the collar, and unlocked it. As soon as the collar fell away the force flowed back into the boy's body and with it came his memories. The force bombarded him with images, and he whimpered; he felt like his head would explode with all the things that he felt. He began to shake slightly at the remembrance of what had happened to him, and he started to cry once more only this time he hugged the big hairy man and in turn Krag rocked the boy while soothing him.

tbc... no cliff hangers this time, and thanks to those who are R & R I appreciate your time.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thoughts in italics_

_'The force speaking'_

The next morning Obi-Wan woke up feeling very warm and comfortable, and for a moment he forgot where he was. He lay snuggled in the fur blanket, and abruptly his memories of the night before filled his consciousness. He sat up realising he was in the arms of the wookie, who had taken the collar off him. He remembered who he was now and what had happened to him, he shivered when he thought about Xanatos, and he started to cry. Krag patted his back and started humming something.

Eventually Obi-Wan stopped crying, and sat up looking at Krag "My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Master Jinn's Padawan threw me off the cliff. He was very mean and he did not like me at all, and when I woke up I was in the river, and I fell down a hole, it was very dark in the hole and I was scared. I came out of the hole near the pond, and I don't know where the Masters are. I called out to them but no one could hear me. I didn't want to go with Xanatos, and I told Master Jinn I didn't want to go. But they didn't listen to me, and I was scared. Do you know where they are?" He asked Krag.

Even though Krag understood what Obi-Wan was saying he could not speak to Obi-wan. His throat had been severely injured and he could not form words. However, he soon helped Obi-Wan understand his sign language, which was a series of grunts and growls, and hand gestures. As the weeks flew by Obi-Wan learnt to understand him, and Obi-Wan told him all about the temple and that he was training to be a Jedi Knight.

Krag told Obi-Wan that he and some of his friends had been captured, and enslaved by the pilot of the ship that crashed. The pilot was a cruel man and killed most of Krag's friends, and when the ship crashed Krag could not help him self; he was so angry at the pilot that he killed him for causing him so much pain. Both Obi-Wan and Krag had been hurt and now they had found each other, and one day soon they hoped that some one would come and rescue them.

As the months wore on, Krag realised that no one would be coming any time soon, and he decided to teach Obi-Wan how to defend him self. Krag had seen some Jedi in his travels and they practiced and trained constantly, and he wanted to teach Obi-Wan how to hunt and survive just in case something happened to him.

They had explored every inch of their home and the only way out of the valley, was to climb the mountain. Obi-Wan said he had come from the other side of the mountain but did not know how to get back there. Therefore, Krag explained to Obi-Wan that when he was stronger and older and could use his force abilities properly he would be able to climb out of the valley and get help for them both. Obi-Wan did not like the idea of leaving Krag here while he went for help and he told Krag he wouldn't go without him. Krag showed Obi-Wan his crippled hand, and badly deformed leg and he explained that he would not be able to climb, and that it would be up to Obi-Wan to go for help.

Krag knew the boy was afraid and would not venture off on his own for quite sometime, and so he set about teaching Obi-Wan how to gather food, and store it for the winter months. Obi-Wan moved into the lower cave with Krag and so began their friendship. Over the next two years Krag taught Obi as much as he could about survival, and he made Obi-Wan practice using the force. He learnt many things and he learnt how to pick up rocks with the force, and to jump very high. Krag had not had much schooling when he was young, so it was hard to teach Obi-Wan properly. He wasn't sure if Obi-Wan was using the force correctly or not. However, Obi grew stronger and stronger every day. But even two years later, Obi-Wan was quite adamant that he would not leave Krag to find help.

Krag started to feel sick just another year later, and he felt his time was running out. He felt so guilty knowing he would die and leave Obi-Wan alone, and yet he did not want to frighten the boy by telling him that he was very sick. All he could do was to teach Obi-Wan how to look after him self. He spent every waking hour trying to build Obi-Wan's confidence up, and prepare him for a time, when he would be alone again.

He managed to keep well enough for another year, and he thought Obi-Wan would be about nine now. He knew nine was no age to be all alone, nevertheless, there did not seem to be any hope of them being rescued. There had not been any space craft in the sky, and no signs of life anywhere other than the small animals near their home. His heart was breaking with thoughts of Obi being left alone again. He tried to hang on to life, but he was just too weak to continue. Krag was not one to pray, but he believed with all his heart that he had been sent here to help this child for a reason, and he wouldn't believe otherwise. Therefore, he prayed to the skies each night to hear his pleas to save Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan did not know how sick his friend was, and yet he seemed to hover around him more than ever. Krag wondered if Obi could sense his condition through the force, as the boy never left his side except to get food and water. One night Krag wasn't feeling at all well, he had been really sick for a couple of days, and he was burning up with a fever. Obi-Wan noticed there was no water in the container so he went to the pond to get some. While he was there he gathered some food, hoping that some food would make his friend better. By the time he arrived back to the cave it was so quiet. Obi couldn't sense his friend in the force, and he rushed to where Krag was laying and put his hand on his heart.

Nothing…. Obi hitched a breath and called out Krag's name….nothing….

Obi let out a wail; he knew his friend had passed into the force, and he lay down next to him and held him. Telling him how much he loved him. The next morning Obi-Wan said goodbye to his friend and left the cave. Obi decided to climb up to his cave above the pond, as he had left it to live with Krag down near the pond. He sat in the opening of his home, and tears dripped down his face; he was alone again.

The warm days of summer made Obi-Wan feel a bit better, yet he remembered what Krag had taught him. That after summer came winter, and he should store plenty of roots and fruit and nuts in his cave. So he set about gathering food. Obi-Wan did not like winter, it was very cold, and in the coldest months he would huddle under the dry grass. Another year past although Obi-Wan did not really understand what a year meant. As far as he was concerned it was a long time by him self.

When he was lonely he would think about Krag and the fun they had together, and when he was sad he would practice the lessons Krag had shown him. During the day when the sun beat down across his little place in the galaxy, he would play in the pond and share his food with the tiny animals he had made friends with. Obi-Wan wondered why he sometimes knew exactly what the little animals were thinking or going to do, it was weird. However, he didn't wonder too long because he was happy that they were his friends. He played with them, and helped them store food for the winter months, and when winter came several of the animals spent the cold winter nights in Obi's cave, and they kept him company when he was alone and afraid.

Each day when the sun rose, so did Obi-Wan, and he continued to use the force every day, and he would show his little animal friends the new tricks he had learnt. He knew he had been there for a long time, and sometimes he would wake up from a bad dream remembering when he was thrown off the mountain. He wondered why everyone hated him, and why they left him here all by him self.

At night he would sit and stare at the stars imagining they were people, and he gave them names and called them his friend. He would whisper to them, and he would tell them what he did all day and he would ask them questions. Like… "Why doesn't anyone like me, why am I here by my self, why did my friend die?" Obi asked the stars why all this happened. "Did I do something really bad and I'm being punished?" He would ask the stars "Will I be alone forever?"

Every night he felt drawn to his place below the stars, and he would sit for hours watching them. After awhile he felt happy watching the stars and they seemed to chase away his fears. One night he asked the stars if any one ever thought of him. "Does anyone remember me?"

Obi-Wan felt surprised when in his head the word _'yes'_ popped up, and Obi-Wan looked around thinking there was some one behind him. It was a very clear night and the moon was very bright; Obi-Wan could see no one and he could not sense anyone either, and yet he distinctly heard a _'yes'_ he looked back up at the stars and asked. "Did you say that?" he waited but no more words popped into his head.

The next night, he was anxious to go to his place and sit by the stars he did not know why, and when he got there he felt empty. There were a thin layer of clouds covering the stars, and it seemed to make him sad. He waited for a long time until the clouds moved on, and then he asked the stars if anyone was there. A warm gentle breeze ruffled his hair, and it made him feel safe. He decided to speak to the breeze. "Where do you come from, do you have a home?"

As he watched the breeze picked up some leaves off the ground, and swirled them around until they formed a tunnel, and the tunnel lifted the leaves into the air and then they floated down to the ground. Many of the leaves fell on Obi-Wans head and it made him smile. They tickled as they settled on his knees, and he felt happy that the breeze was here.

A week flew by and each night Obi-Wan, tried to see past the star he was looking at, and he would stare until he focused on another star farther away than the first. "Hello little star, can you hear me?" He waited for an answer, and when he did not get one, he would ask again. "I can see you, why wont you talk to me?"

He sighed and bowed his head, because his neck was sore from looking up all the time, and that is when he heard it; a voice in his head.

'_You are not alone; never alone the force will guide you'_

Obi-Wan felt a strange sensation; he wondered why he did not feel scared. "Who is speaking to me, where are you?"

'_Within you, and all around you; stretch out with your feelings'_

Obi-Wan stood up and stretched his arms as far as they could go, yet nothing happened.

"I don't see you, are you in the stars; are you one of the stars talking to me?"

He sometimes wished he knew more about the force so he could talk to somebody, like the Masters did with their Padawan's, _with that bond thing_ He thought. "Do I have a bond with you?" he asked.

'_The force is with you, speak and you shall be heard'_

After that night he talked to the stars constantly, telling them of his fears and of his dreams, asking the stars to send someone to talk to him. He told the stars who he was and what had happened to him, and he begged them to help him. The stars never seemed to change, and yet sometimes he did stretch out way past the farthest star, and he thought he felt some one stretch out and ask him who he was, but the feeling scared him and he would stop stretching out. A few days later he felt his courage come back and he stretched out again, and this time he told the voice in his head who he was. The stars twinkled, and he thought if he stretched far enough he could touch them, and sometimes he would picture them moving.

Abruptly, one started to glow and it grew bigger. It seemed to be getting closer and closer, and he stared at it, and wondered why it was making a noise. He didn't think stars made a noise, nevertheless, as this one got closer it did. Then he realised it wasn't a star at all, it was too big and it made lots of noise. He nervously watched the large object as it landed at the other end of the field.

tbc...


	6. Chapter 6

_/Obi's thoughts \\_

ooo

As their craft entered the planets atmosphere Yoda could feel Obi-wan's presence like a homing beacon. Both Mace and Qui-Gon could sense a force sensitive being, and it was pure and innocent. The boy had seen the craft approach and they sensed a great deal of anxiety through the force. Qui-Gon landed their ship in a rather large field, and on their approach they noticed a wrecked and burnt out hull of a space craft. A tree had grown through the middle of it, which made them think it had been there for some time.

"Other than Obi-Wan, sense I do not another life form, save for small animals and birds" Yoda stated.

"How can that be possible?" Mace questioned. "Surely he has not been alone for five years"

"I wish it wasn't dark, he will not recognise us, and it will be difficult to gain his trust. I sense he is hiding, and I feel fear in the force." Qui-Gon explained as they started their trek through the field towards the tree line. Both Mace and Qui-Gon held glow rods, which illuminated the field in front of them.

"What must he be thinking if he is watching these bright lights coming towards him" Mace muttered.

"Frightened he is, in a state of confusion he is" Yoda explained.

The three Masters came across the derelict space craft and shone their glow rods inside. It was an empty shell; the ship had been gutted by fire, and small trees and plants were growing through it. Nothing inside or outside the ship made it recognisable.

"Do you think that whoever, crashed here died on impact?" Qui-Gon asked Master Yoda.

"Hard to tell, long time ago this did happen, maybe before our youngling came here" Yoda answered.

"It would have been nice if someone had survived to care for young Obi-Wan" Qui-Gon stated.

They carried on through the trees noting an abundance of fruiting trees, and bushes with edible berries on them. Soon they came to a slow flowing creek, and could hear the sound of water cascading over the rocks. Mace shone his glow rod towards the sound and could see a large opening in the mountain and water poured out over the rocks and into the pond.

They could sense Obi-Wan's presence, not far away. He was watching their light, and yet he was keeping very still. They had packed blankets, and food; water and medical supplies for the trek across the field. They had no idea what to expect when they found the boy, and they knew he was above them, probably in a cave. They thought it best not to start searching for him tonight, as he might get hurt in his attempt to hide from them. Master Yoda indicated to Qui-Gon and Mace that Obi-Wan was safe where he was for tonight.

Mace set up their camp near the pond, and erected a tent, while Yoda sat on a rock and pulled the force around him. Qui-Gon gathered some wood for a fire, and to make a pot of Caff.

From his cave overlooking the pond Obi watched the three men, he wished they would go away, but at the same time he wanted them to stay. He was lonely and frightened./ _What if they die like Krag did, or what if they are mean like the pilot and Xanatos, and hurt me_ \\ he thought.

He lay on his stomach and rested his hands on his chin and he watched them, and he could hear them talking, the sound of their voices soothed him, and soon he felt very tired and he could not keep his eyes open and he felt warm and safe. He laid his head on the pile of leaves he used as a pillow and soon was sound asleep.

Master Yoda opened his eyes and spoke quietly to the other two. "Asleep he is… very frightened is our youngling…pushed his fears away I have, wait for daylight to approach him we will. Safe he is."

They sat by the fire trying to figure out what had happened to him, and how had he survived. They discussed all possibilities, however nothing made any sense.

"The plateau where he disappeared is on the other side of these mountains, how he could end up way over here is beyond comprehension" Qui-Gon wondered out loud.

"Answers are here to find" Yoda motioned with his stick pointing towards the rocks on the other side of the pond. "Guiding me there the force is."

Qui-Gon rose to his feet, and taking a glow rod he disappeared into the darkness, he came back several minutes later, holding a flight journal; one that a pilot would use.

"What did you find Qui? Mace asked.

Qui-Gon sat down by the fire and pointed back to where he had just come from. "There are bones in a cave over there, and by the size, and shape of them, it appears to have been a Wookie. This Journal was lying near his bones."

He opened the Journal and gently turned the frail pages. "There are entries in it the writing and language is Kashyyyk" Qui started to read some of the first entries.

"_I was on a Slaver ship, and my name is Krag, we crashed here in the valley. I am the only survivor; the pilot was alive barely when we crashed. He enslaved me and my friends, and was a cruel man so I killed him before he could kill me. I crawled to the pond and there I met a young child, the boy gave me food and water. He saved me, and he cleaned my injuries; he is alone and very scared. He did not know who he was, because someone had put a force inhibitor collar around his neck, and he was in pain. I gained his confidence and removed the collar, and I smashed it into little pieces with a rock and threw it away._

_Once the collar came off he remembered that someone named Xanatos threw him into the river, and said he was going to die. Unfortunately, I could not speak to him because my throat was damaged; but we communicated with our own home made sign language. He is a bright and friendly boy, and once he felt safe around me he told me who he was and where he came from. I am writing all this down just in case I don't make it; I have a crushed hand and a deformed foot, which prevents me from climbing. Otherwise I would have climbed out of here and taken the boy with me to the nearest settlement. _

_I hope that when he is old enough, he can climb out of here, and find someone to look after him. Until that day I will teach him as much as I can, and when he leaves, I will make sure he takes this journal with him. __He told me that when he was thrown in the river he fell down a hole that wound through the mountain for a long way and he came out here into the pond. I do not know how he survived, but he is an amazing boy. __I am not sure how long he was here all alone, he was very scared when we first met, and I think he is about five years old." _

Qui-Gon stopped reading, "So now we know how he ended up way down here, the water carried him"

Qui-Gon turned the page. "It says here that Obi-Wan played with the small animals and when Krag tried to teach him to hunt for food he refused telling Krag that they were his friends and he would not eat them"

Yoda cackled softly" Good heart has this boy, No darkness resides in him"

"Krag said they checked the ship, however, it was completely gutted by the fire, and there was nothing to be salvaged. Winter came quickly and they spent most of it inside where Krag's body is, he said that Obi-Wan did not have much in the way of clothing, just leggings and a tunic. His boots grew too small for him, by the time spring arrived, and Obi-Wan said he did not mind because he liked going bare foot anyway. Obi-Wan continued to grow right out of his tunic and leggings, and he made him a tunic out of banana leaves; he shredded the leaves and plaited them together.

There are many entries in the journal of their life together…He taught Obi how to move rocks and pick up things with the force, and after a few lessons Obi would just point at the fruit and say 'fall', and it would. At first he didn't understand how he made them fall off the tree. Krag explained to him that if he thought about it long enough it would happen and it did"

The three Masters chuckled at this entry in the journal.

Qui-Gon Flipped through the journal, "We can read most of it on the way back to Corruscant; I just want to find out how long ago Krag died". Qui-Gon stopped when the writing became shaky, and began to read.

"_I have been sick for some time now, I do not think I will last much longer. Obi doesn't know how sick I am. __Four years I have calculated that we have been here together, I wish I could see this fine boy saved. He doesn't deserve this fate. My guess is he is about nine now._

_I have been teaching him about balance, he can balance upside down on __one hand while holding a rock in the other. He can levitate rocks three times as heavy as himself, and I have been trying to convince him to climb the mountain and seek out help, not for myself, but I cannot bear to think he will be left alone when I die. __I am getting weaker every day, and I have prayed to the gods to save him."_

On the next few pages the writing was becoming distorted, and there was only one more page of writing.

Krag wrote_: " I have been having a dream these last few nights. It is always the same. __I see stars shining brightly, and I see the boy look to the night sky. I see him standing in the company of three beings, all wearing the same Clothes. __Two large beings, one dark and one light, and one short, the short one appears the brightest. __The boy leaves with them. My dream ends then but I wake feeling happy for a moment. I tell him he must watch the stars and pray to them. __I pray to whatever force is out there that my dream will come true. Please someone hear his call, some one find this light in the darkness find him. Save him."_

Mace spoke for the first time since Qui had been reading. "Was the force letting this good man know that all would be well, it appears that he had visions of us coming here to rescue Obi-Wan… Nevertheless, he has spent at least the past year alone, no wonder he is frightened."

Qui-Gon closed the journal, and put it in his bag. The three Masters sat in meditation for the rest of the night, wondering what the child would think about them in the light of day. They wondered what he looked like now and how had the last five years affected him. How would he adjust to Temple life?

The sun came up, and warmed Obi-Wans home, and with it the smells of food cooking wafted in as well. He stirred, and he could smell this wonderful aroma, and it made him hungry, very hungry. He crept over to the entrance of his cave, and down in the clearing next to the pond he could see the three people sitting around a fire. A pot of something was balanced over the flames. The wonderful smell was coming from the pot, and one of the men was stirring it; he watched as one of the big men stood up and looked towards his cave.

"Hello Obi-wan are you hungry. We have made some breakfast, and there is plenty here, why don't you come and join us. We know your watching us Obi-Wan, and we know you're up there in that cave. We will not hurt you, and we have come to rescue you, and take you home."

When Obi heard the man say his name he scurried to the back of his cave. / _How does he know my name\\_ he wondered. He concentrated on the force, and tried to sense them. He couldn't feel any evil coming from them, and for some reason he felt safe. It was like someone was filling him with happy feelings.

He gradually crept closer to the entrance of his cave again. The three men were sitting on a log eating that nice smelling food. / _I am really hungry, and that smells nice\\_ he thought. His hunger fought a battle with his fear, and eventually his hunger won. Obi stood at the edge of his cave, and all three Jedi could see him, a boy whom they hadn't seen in five years.

At first glance he looked like a swamp waif. His skin was brown from the sun, and he was naked. His hair was a golden sandy colour and It hung down to his waist and it appeared to be a mass of knots. He rubbed his eyes and then scratched his head as he watched them warily.

"Obi-wan please come down we will not hurt you" Qui-Gon said. "We have lots of food and we want to share it with you"

Obi-wan was hesitant, but then he thought that they might take the food away if he didn't come down, and it smelled to good not to eat it. So he started down. Mace and Qui-Gon both jumped in momentary panic, when the little one jumped out into seemingly empty space, but caught a vine that was hidden from view. He swung over to a branch overhanging the pond, and then he ran along the branch, and jumped down to a boulder. Obi-Wan ran along the boulder and jumped; catching hold of another vine; he swung across the pond and landed lightly on a large rock overlooking the three Masters.

Obi stood there for a moment watching them, and then he crouched down on the rock. He was far enough away from them just in case they tried to hurt him; he could run away before they could catch him or so he thought.

Mace smiled at Qui-Gon, and then commented. "Spritely young fellow isn't he, he reminds me of those monkeys from Balor 3, all arms and legs" he whispered.

tbc...


	7. Chapter 7

ooo

"Hello young one" Yoda said. "Glad I am, that found you we have".

A look of confusion lit Obi's face. "You talk funny" he said staring at Yoda "Can I have some food now"

The Jedi glanced at each other in dismay, Obi-wan spoke like a child a lot younger than his ten years. They surmised that because Krag was unable to actually speak to Obi, he hadn't learnt basic language skills any further than what a five year old would speak. They watched him fidget waiting for an answer.

"Talk funny I do not!" Yoda stated. "Hungry are you?"

Obi-Wan nodded vigorously.

Qui-Gon filled a bowl with stew and held it out to the boy. "Come and get it, it is very good even if I do say so myself"

Obi jumped to his feet shaking his head. "Nooo, no, not come and get it, you might hurt me". He stuttered.

"All right take it easy, calm down" Qui said "I will put it over on that rock, and then you can go and get it, ok?"

The boy nodded, and watched Qui-Gon place the bowl on a rock quite a distance away from where Obi-Wan was standing, he would have to climb off his rock, and walk past them to get to the other rock. Qui-Gon thought he could get a better look at young Obi-Wan as he walked past. He returned to the others and sat down. However, to their amazement Obi-Wan leapt high in the air and seemed to almost fly to the other rock. A feat in it's self, as it was a fair distance even for an adult to jump.

When Obi had finished the stew, he held the bowl up. "More?"

Master Yoda shook his head, and patted his own stomach. "Make you sick, if too much you eat, your stomach not used to such different food; make you sick it would."

Obi-wan looked down at his stomach "You silly, Obi's stomach not sick."

Mace smiled at his response. "What do - you eat -, do you have any food?"

Obi nodded. "I have lots of food, I show you" He jumped down from the rock and ran off into the bushes.

They wondered if they should go after him, but Yoda shook his head. "Safe he is no harm will befall him."

Several minutes later he was back holding a piece of curled up bark. In it was an assortment of berries, roots, fruit and nuts. He put them on the rock and stepped back.

Mace gathered them up and took them back to the others. "So this is what he has been eating for the last five years." He stated.

Qui-Gon picked up a large hard shelled nut and put it in his mouth. Much to the delight of Obi, who started laughing.

"You silly too, teeth break they will" mimicking Yoda's speech.

They all laughed, and Qui-Gon held the nut out in his hand, and said "Can you show me how to eat it"

This was the defining moment, indecision crossed his innocent face. He looked at them, and hesitated for a moment, and then he slowly walked towards them. None of them moved, Qui held his hand out and the boy hesitantly took the nut. He picked up another one and held them together and squeezed; he closed his eyes and they could feel the force build up in him cracking both shells.

"See, easy it is" he smiled.

"Thank you, Obi-wan". Qui said as the boy handed him the nuts. Mace had just made some hot cha and he handed cups to Qui and Yoda, and then he held out a cup to Obi.

"This drink is called choco kappa. I think you will like it Obi-Wan."

He took the cup slowly and put his tongue in it, and the boy's eyes lit up when he tasted it. It was familiar; however, he had not tasted something this nice for a long time. Obi-Wan relaxed around them, and he could feel they were good people, and after first meal was over Obi sat down next to Master Yoda and touched his tunic.

"You have warm clothes" he pointed.

"Indeed I have young one" Master Yoda then asked him "Clothes do you have".

Obi shook his head "Had some, don't fit me anymore"

"Haven't you any clothes to wear Obi?" Mace asked.

"Nope, my friend made me some clothes from the long leaves, but they broke and I don't know how to fix them?" He admitted.

Qui-Gon stood up and motioned to Yoda that he was going back to the shuttle to get something, "I will be back shortly"

When he returned he held some things up for Obi to see. "Obi we have brought some clothes that will fit you".

Yoda watched as Qui handed the boy Yoda's spare set of Jedi tunics.

His clothes would fit the boy and they certainly would be better than having him running around naked. Obi looked at them and smiled up at the big Jedi.

"For me, clothes for me, thank you" He took them and was going to put

them on when Qui-Gon stopped him.

"Obi-wan before you put them on I think you should wash first."

Obi looked over at the pond "ok, wash in the pond."

"No Obi-Wan, the pond is not the place to use soap; you can wash on the shuttle.

Again confusion crossed the boys face. He looked sad, and then he said

"I don't have any soap, and what is a shuttle?"

Mace answered him. "That is the space craft we came in, and there is plenty of soap on board.

"Take you home now we will, Jedi you are." Yoda explained.

Obi's eyes glanced across to Krags cave. "Oh" he whispered.

"Sad you are young one, in the Jedi Temple you belong." Yoda said waiting for a response.

"Will you take my friend with us; he will be all alone, if I go away?" Obi whispered.

"Your friend?" Qui-Gon queried as he crouched down in front of the boy. "Obi-wan your friend is dead he died a long time ago" Qui-Gon worried that the boy had lost touch with reality. What if he thought his friend was still alive how would he react if he couldn't accept the truth.

Obi-wan's face changed to a very serious scowl "Know that I do" He said frowning at the big Master, and putting his hands on his hips. "Krag died when I went to get water and food for him, he wanted me to get some help, but I was scared to leave, didn't want to leave him alone, and I wont go, if you wont take him with us!"

The three Jedi realised that this boy was so full of compassion and goodness, even after death he still wanted to make sure his friend was rescued. Never mind that Obi-Wan had been on his own for a year, his only thoughts were for his friend.

Master Yoda spoke up and said. "Take your friend with us we will, your friend is one with the force, and happy he is, knows that safe you are now. Master Windu will collect the remains of your friend and we will take him back to Corruscant; will this be acceptable to you young one?"

"Yes, thank you" he answered.

Walking back to the Shuttle they noticed Obi-wan eyeing them warily and Yoda stopped, and spoke to Obi-wan. "Something wrong youngling, tell us you can, If help we can, then help we will?"

"Well, I think I remember you, from before….You were nice, but don't remember him." He indicated pointing to Master Windu.

"I remember him" he poked his finger at Master Jinn. He stared at Qui-Gon, and then he stated. "Told you it was not safe to go…But you no listen to me. I wanted you to help me get away from that evil man. He was going to hurt me….I didn't want to go with Xanatos.. Why you not listen?" Obi-wan asked Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon remembered the time when the boy had practically begged not to go

up to the plateau, and he had remembered the words uttered from Obi-wan on that day. _/I don't think it safe to go\\_

He knelt down in front of Obi-wan "I promise you that the evil one can no longer hurt you, I am so sorry that I didn't listen to you, I promise that from now on I will always listen to you"

Obi smiled and nodded his head in agreement, and then he looked back. "Don't want to come back here again…No one to talk too."

Once on board the shuttle Mace and Qui filled the tub with warm water, and soon Obi-wan was covered in soap and bubbles. Yoda chuckled, when Obi splashed soapy water all over Mace and Qui. It was wonderful to hear laughter coming from their lost youngling, and after they had washed his hair and dried him, Qui-Gon tried to comb out the knots, but it was impossible.

Yoda produced a pair of scissors. "Hair too long it is, to the temple we will go, training you will have, Jedi you will become."

Obi looked questioningly at him and then said. "Am I really going to be a Jedi."

tbc...


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_**This is the second last chapter of lost and found. Thank you every one who read it and or replied.XXOOXX**_

_**There will be a sequel to it called 'Kidnapped by darkness', and has Xanatos in it. But that is another story and this one isn't quite finished yet so please enjoy.**_

_000_

"You were always meant to be a Jedi Obi-Wan, and when we lost you we were very sad. Do you remember anything about the temple?" Qui-Gon asked him.

"It was very big, and I remember it was very nice. Will I be a pad-wan?"

"Yes young one, have just the Master in mind for you" Yoda nodded at Qui-Gon. "To be a Padawan, must have short hair, your hair too long it is"

Obi-wan studied the small Master, and then saw the scissors. "OK You can cut my hair if you want, I have warm clothes now, I don't need hair to keep me warm"

Laughter filled the air; this child had an innocence about him that was refreshing. Yoda handed Qui-Gon the scissors.

"His future Master should be the one to cut his hair, is it not so Qui-Gon" Yoda stated

Qui-Gon nodded and took the scissors." Yes it would be my pleasure" He answered.

When he had finished with the hair they helped him dress, once he was ready they stood him in front of a mirror. Looking at himself in the mirror for the first time he was shocked and stepped back a pace.

"Is that me?" He asked.

"Yes, quite the handsome young man you are. However, we do not have any boots for you to wear. But do not worry we will get you some when we return to the temple"

Obi-wan looked at him self, he lifted his arms, then his legs, and then he ran his hand through his short cropped hair.

"It is spiky" he giggled. Then he noticed the hair was longer at the back.

Touching it with his fingers he said "Why did you leave this bit long?"

Qui-Gon put his own hand over the boys. "I left some hair at the back, so when you become a Padawan, it will be cut again, and some will be left behind your ear. It will be plaited and your master will put a bead in it, and it will mark you as an apprentice.

"Your Master will plait it and as you grow and pass tests he will attach more beads to it." Mace explained.

Obi-wan thought it over for a moment a bit confused, then asked.

"Who is going to plait it?"

Qui-Gon knelt in front of him and spoke. "When the time comes if you would do me the honour of becoming my apprentice, then I will cut your hair and braid it for you?"

Obi-wan stared at the big Jedi for a moment; they could feel him asking the force.

Then suddenly he said "Ok, I can be your pad--wan"

They chuckled, quietly at Obi-Wans innocence and natural reaction, to something as important as being accepted as an apprentice. Temple children were taught the correct response, when being asked to be a Padawan, as there was protocol to be observed.

Never in all their years had a prospective apprentice just said "ok"

It was actually refreshing to have one so uninhibited with the protocol of civilization in their midst. Qui-Gon wondered if Obi-Wan would end up being a rebel like himself. He thought about the council and their stunned expressions when they returned with Obi-Wan, and he smiled inwardly thinking -_Well at least I have the two most respected and senior councillors on my side_ -he wondered if he would have his hands full training Obi-Wan.

Mace slapped Qui-Gon on his shoulder. "My friend, are you sure you know what you are getting your self into. I think he will have you wrapped around his finger in no time"

Obi-wan heard what the Jedi Master said and looked at his finger. "Master, can you wrap your self around my finger, I did not know you could do that with the force?"

Mace burst out laughing. Qui-Gon just shook his head and smiled "No young one, it is just a figure of speech; Master Windu is trying to be funny."

Their journey home would take a few days and so while Mace took the controls of the ship Qui-Gon and Master Yoda talked to Obi-Wan, and found out what he and Krag did in their time together. Soon Obi-Wan started to yawn, and he stretched his arms, Master Yoda had gone to the galley to make a cup of caff and Qui-Gon was sitting with Mace in the co pilot's seat. Obi-Wan had been drawing pictures and now he was tired. He did not want to disturb them so he crawled under the table and curled up, and fell asleep.

Qui-Gon had not noticed and was speaking quietly to Mace. "What do you think the other councillors will say about training Obi-Wan?"

"I am sure they will be shocked, and I can honestly say that there will be opposition to his training. After all he has not been trained for five years. He is way behind in just about every course there is.

However, at least for once in your life Qui-Gon you have the backing of both Yoda and myself." He smirked.

Qui-Gon smiled back, "I actually thought of that before, and I am thankful for it. I cannot imagine what Obi-Wan will make of it all, and it is going to be hard for him to adjust, although he seems to be adjusting alright so far"

Yoda came out of the kitchen and saw Obi-Wan under the table, and shook his head. He walked up to the two masters and shook his head.

"What is the matter Master?" Qui-Gon asked looking down at the small master.

"Be ever watchful we must, no time there is to be complacent, adjusting he is not?" and Yoda nodded his head towards Obi-Wan.

Both Masters groaned when they saw young Obi-Wan asleep on the floor. He had not realised that there were beds to sleep in.

Qui-Gon got down on his hands and knees, it was a struggle for the large man to fit under the table, and he used the force to slide the youngling out. Qui-Gon lifted him up and started to head for the cabin, when Obi-Wan stirred, and mumbled "Don't leave me"

Qui-Gon sent calming waves to sooth the boy "You are safe my child, I will not leave you again, it is time for bed now and the floor is not the place to sleep"

As he tucked Obi-Wan in to the bed and pulled the warm blankets around him, he kissed his forehead. "Sleep well my little one"

tbc... Next post is the end, and if you want the sequel just let me know. Thank you for your terrific responses to my story. I enjoy giving you all something to read.XXX


	9. Chapter 9

The final chapter for Lost and found.

000

As the ship neared the temple, Qui-Gon sat next to Obi-Wan and watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful on the bed and yet Qui-Gon knew Obi-Wans trials were just beginning. Qui-Gon stroked his soft hair and made a promise to the force to protect this youngling with his life.

Obi-Wan stretched, and his eye lids fluttered open and he blinked several times. "Hello Master, have you been waiting for me to wake up?"

"No youngling, I wanted to make sure you were alright, I did not mean to wake you"

"That's ok, I am not tired anymore; can I get up now?"

Qui-Gon smiled at him. "Why don't we go and watch Master Windu land the ship, we will be at the temple very soon."

A look of concern covered his young face and Obi-Wan looked up at Qui-Gon.

"What is it young one?" He asked.

"W-hen we land at the T-emple, can I stay with you? Obi-wan asked.

Qui-Gon could sense apprehension and a touch of nervousness radiating from the boy.

"Of course young one, you seem worried, is there anything else bothering you."

Master Yoda and Mace had also sensed mixed emotions coming from the boy. Obi-wan looked from one Master to the other. then his eyes settled on Qui-Gon's.

"I-I- …. W-w-ha..t, If … He tried to speak, but suddenly all the memories of his time alone and the terrifying moments before and after he was thrown from the Plateau came back to haunt him. Apprehension and a sense of loss overcame him, knowing that he was going back to somewhere that he hardly remembered, and he was scared.

He didn't know what he wanted, he was confused, and his heart was beating rapidly standing there in front of Master Jinn he started to shake. His breaths were coming in gasps, and his eyes were filling with tears. Qui-Gon could feel the shift in emotions coming from Obi-wan. He knew that the boy was about to break. He had held up well. But the Jedi Masters knew that before long, the five years of loneliness, sadness and pain would finally catch up to him, and that time had come. Qui-Gon pulled the child up into his arms embracing him; Obi-wan wrapped his hands as far around the big Jedi as they could reach, and Qui-Gon sat on the couch, settling Obi in a comfortable position. The sobs came fast and furious, his pain and insecurities coming out in a flood of tears. Qui-Gon knew that no words were needed yet, so he just gently rubbed the boys back and rocked him back and forth. Sending calming waves of love and compassion to the frayed mind of this bright light in the force.

Obi-Wan felt warm and safe for the first time in a long while, and he gradually released his tight grip of Qui-Gon and asked if he could watch Master Windu pilot the ship. Qui-Gon sat in the co-pilots chair and sat Obi-Wan on his lap. Obi-Wan began chatting and asked what each instrument was on the consol; the boy had a thirst for knowledge and they were pleased that they would have the chance to teach him.

Later Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan went back to the galley to make a cup of Choco as Obi-Wan was thirty, and while they were gone, Mace spoke to Yoda. "I cannot believe he survived on his own for so long. I can not imagine how lonely he must have been"

"Protected he was, has a great destiny I sense; the force is strong in this young one" Yoda stated.

"What amazes me is the fact that we sensed him all the way from Corruscant, three days travel away, his grasp of the force in certain areas is better than his age-mates, and you see how far he jumped; he did it with no difficulty at all, some senior Padawan's cannot even jump that far." Mace admitted.

"Mmmmph." Yoda cleared his throat. "Difficult for him it will be far behind his age-mates he is in his studies; must be vigilant and watch over him, or he will become a target for bullies and jokers."

As Obi-Wan came back holding his choco drink with Qui-Gon he heard Yoda say "Difficult for him it will be, far behind his age- mates he is"

"What does age- mates mean?" he asked.

Qui-Gon smiled at Yoda. "It means children your age Obi-Wan"

The boy stared at him for a while then asked. "What age am I?"

"Well" said Qui-Gon "You were five when you went to Rayma, and five years have past since then. "So that would make you"………Qui-Gon looked questioningly at the boy.

Then Obi-Wan smiled sheepishly "Ten?" he finished.

"Yes Obi-Wan that is correct" Qui-Gon smiled back.

"Is Ten old? " Obi asked.

"No young one, old it is not" Yoda announced.

"What will happen when we get to the Temple, what will I do, I forget what I used to do there?"

"You will go to lessons and learn how to be a Jedi." Mace answered.

"How long will that take?" Obi asked.

"It depends on you and how quickly you learn, most apprentices reach Knighthood around their twenty fifth year." Mace explained

Obi thought for a moment then said. "So I won't be alone anymore?"

"No Obi-Wan you won't be alone." Mace confirmed.

"Ok then I can do that" Obi said smiling.

The three Masters looked on with amused faces, but deep down they knew that the journey to Knighthood for this child would be a long and difficult road to travel; fraught with unforeseen dangers, along the way.

They remembered what Xanatos had said about getting rid of Obi-Wan. How the dark side could not be stopped now that he was gone. However, for now that was something they would worry about at another time. It would be another episode in his life. Nevertheless, they knew now that the force had shown them, the road Obi-wan travelled would be the same one that Yoda, Mace and Qui-Gon would travel also. The force had brought them all together and it would not allow them to deviate from this path. They would stand united in their common goal, to protect and guide Obi-Wan Kenobi to Knighthood.

This was the beginning of their journey together.

The end or just the beginning.

That's all folks! The sequel is called Kidnapped by darkness.

Thank you for reading and your wonderful reviews.


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